When the All-Star Game takes place in Arizona in July, the American League starting team might be comprised of nearly all Yankees and Rangers. The first wave of results were released today for the American League, and two Rangers lead their positions while six Yankees lead theirs.
For the Rangers, Michael Young leads all designated hitters. As Evan Grant pointed out above, Young has never been voted a starter by the fans - but he's currently leading Boston favorite David Ortiz at DH. Young will without a doubt need all the votes he can get, since Ortiz is likely to pick up steam with New England voting for him ad nauseum.
The reigning American League MVP also is in line to start. Josh Hamilton is currently third among American League outfielders, trailing Barry Bonds Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays and Curtis Granderson of the Yankees. Much like Young, Hamilton will need all the votes he can get since Ichiro Suzuki is in fourth place. Instead of all of New England voting for Ichiro, all of the West coast and Japan will be voting for him.
The other American League leaders are former Ranger Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Russell Martin - the entire New York Yankees infield. Jose Bautista is the only non-Yankee or Ranger in the American League's starting lineup.
Of course, Derek Jeter has no business being an All-Star this year. In fact, he's been one of the worst everyday players in baseball. Hopefully the fans do the right thing and make sure Jeter isn't voted a starter this year. Only Alcides Escobar has a lower OPS among qualified American League shortstops this year. Think about that.
Anyway, there's plenty of time to correct this error. The All-Star game voting is mostly a farce, but, it still is fun to see who makes it and who doesn't - and it's incumbent upon the fans to make sure that the right players are starting.